The Light in the Dark Ocean
by SPB
Summary: (Takes place in an AU where the events of Episode 13 of 02 play out differently.) Kari has known only a life of serving as queen of the Dark Ocean, a life she's content with. But that all changes when a group of intruders are brought before her, claiming to be the Digi Destined, and that Kari is one of their own. This touches off a quest for Kari, to find the truth for herself.
1. Intruders

Kari (short for Hikari) found herself struggling to continue to maintain interest in the subject being discussed at length by one of the many creatures known as "Scubamon" that she ruled over. She'd been their queen for how long was it now, at least five years?

Kari shook her head, she'd lost track long ago and hadn't bothered to ask for the length of time. Strangely enough though, every now and then, there came a nagging feeling at the back of her mind. A sense that she'd had a life before being queen of the Dark Ocean, though what that life had been like she couldn't remember.

"And in conclusion, my queen, that's why we would be honored to hold a banquet tonight," The Scubamon concluded. "We've had a bountiful harvest thanks to you, and the least we can do is share some of the fruits of our labor with you, our beloved queen."

Kari adopted the best smile she could, pretending that she'd heard everything when in fact she had zoned out. Luckily, she was good at acting, especially when it came to being happy. "That's very nice, I'm sure a royal banquet will be quite lovely. I look forward to it." She told the Scubamon.

The Scubamon bowed before Kari, who by now had gotten used to the creatures' strange appearances. He departed a moment later.

" _Well, that's the last of them,_ " Kari thought to herself, getting up from her throne. " _Perhaps now I can go out for a stroll, and just this once not have to worry about others recognizing me and asking for favors. I know I'm their queen, but can't these Scubamon ever do anything by themselves?_ "

But just then, the throne room doors burst open, and another Scubamon came rushing in! He stopped at the foot of Kari's throne, gasping for breath! "Sorry to disturb you, your majesty," He apologized at great length. "But we've just received word that a small band of intruders has been captured near the beach! They call themselves 'Digi Destined' or 'Chosen Children' or something along those lines."

"What?!" Kari gasped, her eyes widening in shock! All the while, a nagging thought lingered at the back of her mind. " _Why do such phrases ring a bell, as if I've heard them before?_ "

"Your reaction is the same as mine, I can't imagine why anyone would wish to violate the sovereignty of the Dark Ocean," The Scubamon continued. "But we were wondering, what shall we do with them? We very well can't just leave them all tied up on the beach. Should we deport them back to wherever they came from?"

Kari opened her mouth to speak, but when she did so she found that her mouth developed a mind of its own. She wanted to give the order to have the intruders exterminated (so as to set an example for others), but what she ended up saying instead was. "Bring them before me, I wish to see these so called 'Digi Destined' with my own eyes."

The Scubamon bowed. "Of course, your majesty. As you wish."

* * *

Five minutes later, amidst a series of groans, curses, and shouts of protests, nine figures were brought into the throne room and placed on the red carpeted floors. All of them tied up with thick, black chains that prevented them from escaping.

Five of the figures appeared to be of the same breed of creature as the Scubamon (creatures known as Digimon, or digital monsters). They consisted of: A weird, blue coated, bipedal, dinosaur like creature. Some sort of small hawk with a head band and a blue and yellow feather sticking out of its forehead. An armadillo. Some kind of flying guinea pig. And a white coated cat with two yellow gloves on its front paws.

But the remaining four figures seemed more like Kari. From left to right they consisted of: A spiky brown haired (with goggles resting on top) and brown eyed boy with a flaming t-shirt, a girl with brown eyes hidden behind glasses and purple hair that hung down from an orange helmet of some kind, a mop top brown haired boy with green eyes and a light brown shirt, and a boy with shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes, who wore a white hat and a green (with yellow sleeves) shirt. And for whatever reason, all seemed vaguely familiar to Kari, despite the fact that she didn't recall ever having met them before.

Kari tried not to let this fact distract her, she had interrogations to carry out and information to extract. She sternly approached the intruders and said to them. "So, you are the intruders I've heard of. Why have you come here, violating the sovereignty of my kingdom?"

" _Your_ kingdom?!" The spiky brown haired boy exclaimed, as though shocked to hear such a thing! "What are you talking about?! You're no queen, you're a Digi Destined, like us!"

"Davis, she's obviously been brainwashed, she's not going to remember!" The purple haired girl snapped back.

"And that's why we're here, Kari," The cat like Digimon spoke up. "We've come to free you from whatever spell these so called Scubamon have placed you under. We need you to help us defeat the Digimon Emperor."

"Who is this 'Digimon Emperor' you speak of?!" Kari demanded, her eyes narrowing. "And how do you know my name?! I don't recall telling any of you who I was!"

The blonde haired boy cleared his throat, and his eyes looked deep into Kari's as he explained. "Your… majesty, this may come as a shock to you, but the life you know here is a lie. You are not Queen Kari, ruler of the Dark Ocean! You are Hikari Yagami Kamiya, one of the Digi Destined who helped to save the Digital and real worlds from the forces of darkness! A few weeks ago, you were abducted and taken to this Dark Ocean world, where you were brainwashed into believing you're the queen of these strange creatures. Your family has been worried sick about you, including your older brother, Tai."

"Lies, all of it! I have no family!" Kari snapped back. "Whoever you are, your tricks won't work on me!"

"My name is Takeru Takashi or T.K. for short, your highness!" The boy spoke in a venomous tone. "And this is Daisuke "Davis" Motomiya, Miyako "Yolei" Inoue, and Iori "Cody" Hida. And our partner Digimon and friends are, Patamon, Veemon, Hawkmon, and Armadillomon. The one currently without a partner is Gatomon, because she belongs to you!"

"Kari, please, surely you remember me!" Gatomon pleaded with tears in her eyes. "All the good times we had together, all the secrets we shared, all the hardships we endured! Surely, names like Wizardmon and Myotismon ring a bell for you, don't they?!"

Kari wasn't swayed in the slightest by Gatomon's performance. But what _did_ catch her eye, was a strange, pink colored device that was sticking out of the front right pocket of T.K.'s pants. She picked it and examined it, surprised to find that it could fit right into the palm of her hand. "What is the meaning of this device?! Were you planning to blow me up or something?!" She accused!

"That device is called a digivice," T.K. explained. "When you were a Digi Destined, you used it to aid your partner, Gatomon, in battle. It's a new model that you and I obtained to aid the second generation in their fight against the Digimon Emperor. They allow us to access armor evolutions. Each of us has a similar device, but in a different color."

Kari examined the device carefully, as though she suspected T.K. might be lying to her. But after minutes of fiddling with it, she could find no traces that the device was "suspicious". At the same time, something about the device seemed to touch off the faint traces of a memory that she previously never recalled having. A memory of her fighting alongside these children as one of their own. But, what did that mean?

"Your majesty, what shall we do with these so called 'Digi Destined'?" A Scubamon spoke up, interrupting Kari's mental ponderings.

Kari paused, unsure of herself. Was it just coincidence that this "memory" was appearing now? Reluctantly, she turned away from the intruders and commanded. "Let them go, they mean us no harm. They're just a bunch of nosy kids who don't know better." And then she departed the throne room without another word.


	2. Contemplations

Kari didn't know what to think of all that she'd just been told, but she knew she couldn't stay in the palace. There were bound to be questions about why she'd allowed these intruders to leave. Except for Kari herself, no outsiders who had come to the Dark Ocean, had been allowed to leave, or so it had been said. The Dark Ocean itself was supposed to neutral, for it shared no connections to either the Digital World, or the human world.

As Kari walked along the lonely shores of the ocean's surface, she found herself glancing over the horizon. Her eyes were drawn to what looked like a small campfire, not far from the lighthouse that was the only defining feature amidst the bleak and depressing landscape. In the distance, she could spot the very intruders she'd just released. Amazing how much ground they'd covered in the span of a few minutes.

Creeping just a bit closer (but still a ways away), Kari's ears picked up the faint traces of a conversation going on between the human members of the group (the "Digi Destined" as they'd called themselves).

"Kari must've really hit her head or something," Davis grumbled, as his arms were slumped over his shoulders. "How in the heck does she think she's queen of those… whatever they are?"

"She must be under some sort of spell," Yolei speculated, adjusting her glasses. "If we could just figure out a more reliable way to get to and from here, we could probably consult Izzy, he might know how to help us."

"Something tells me this is far beyond anything Izzy or any of the old Digi Destined have ever dealt with," Cody commented. "We may have to face facts, Kari might be lost to us."

T.K. would hear none of that! He got up and kicked at the dirt, gritting his teeth! "No! Kari wouldn't give up on any of us, and we're not going to give up on her!"

"You _would_ say that, T.S.," Davis teased. "Seeing as you're the one who's always making goo goo eyes at her. Don't pretend I'm stupid, I've seen the way you look at her when you don't think anyone else is looking."

"It's T. _K_., Davis," T.K. snapped back. "And this has nothing to do with how I may or may not feel about Kari! If we're gonna stand up to the Digimon Emperor and put a stop to his crazy games, we're gonna need Kari! Besides, we owe to her friends and family to bring her back home, where she belongs!"

"But, how are we supposed to do that?" Gatomon asked. "She didn't recognize me, even in spite of all that we've been through together."

"We just have to keep on trying! I… I mean _we_ aren't going to give up on Kari just because the going gets rough!" T.K. vowed. "There has to be a way to make her see, a way to break her free of whatever hold these so called Scubamon have on her!"

Hearing T.K.'s comments, Kari found herself suddenly remembering something! A memory that she'd seen only briefly before in her dreams!

* * *

Kari was sitting outside the local middle school, on a small wooden bench. She'd been plagued by recurring nightmares for several days, and today they'd carried over into the waking world, making her see things that weren't there. It seemed that someone or something was out to get her.

All of a sudden, T.K. came rushing up to Kari, looking quite anxious! Why exactly was he so concerned? Whoever or whatever was behind the dreams, they had no interest in him, it was Kari they wanted.

Hoping to get T.K. to go away, Kari briefly explained to what had happened after she'd left to go see the school nurse. Then she found herself confessing. "I can't do this, T.K.! They're going to take me to their world!"

"You're gonna quit?! Give up?! Just like that?!" T.K. snapped, glaring at Kari. "Look, Kari, I care too much about you to let anyone take you without a fight!"

Kari looked up. She'd only been half paying attention to that speech, but hearing T.K. mention that he cared about her had gotten her intrigued. What did he really mean by that? She had lots of people who cared about her, why did T.K. feel the need to make such a basic statement?

But when Kari stared at T.K. again, hoping for more details, the blond haired boy just laughed nervously. He quickly spouted off some random excuse that Kari could see right through and on other day would've pressed him on, but she was just not in any mood to engage in more arguing. She just watched, as T.K. quickly dashed off. And all the while, she thought to herself. " _Just as I thought. T.K., I appreciate your concern, but this isn't about you. I don't need you fighting my battles for me. Whoever this is, if they really want me, what choice do I have?_ "

* * *

With that memory now lingering at the front of her mind, Kari found herself pondering what she'd just heard T.K. say a moment ago. Was that why he and the other "Digi Destined" had come here? Was it because he was hoping to prove how much he really cared for her?

Well, it wasn't like it really mattered. Kari was queen of the Dark Ocean, and she certainly couldn't allow herself to be "seduced" by an outsider. For all she knew, that memory could just be an illusion, a mind trick intended to guilt trip her.

But if that was so, why had it been so real? And why were T.K. and the others staying in the Dark Ocean, instead of departing back to wherever it is they'd come from?

Unable to clear her head, Kari went back beneath the surface, and returned to the palace. She just needed time, time to think about all of this and decide who to believe.

However, upon returning to the throne room, Kari found all the "Scubamon" rushing about in a state of panic! "What's going on?! I thought I sent those intruders away!" Kari demanded.

"They're not who's attacking, my queen," A Scubamon hastily explained, rushing up. "This boy who goes by the name of the Digimon Emperor, he has invaded!"

"What?! An invasion?!" Kari exclaimed! In the back of her mind she was thinking! " _I should've known, those 'Digi Destined' were just the pawns for a greater threat to the sovereignty of the Dark Ocean! Well, if those fools think I'll abdicate my throne so easily, they've got another thing coming!_ "


	3. Assaults

It didn't take long for the Digimon Emperor to make his presence known, he revealed himself on a screen as he spoke directly to Kari. In spite of his title, he seemed to be a boy about the same age as those "Digi Destined" that had shown up earlier. He had spiky hair of blue and light blue, had a blue, gray, and white jumpsuit with cuffs on the wrists and ankles, a dark gray belt with a yellow buckle, black shoes, and a blue cape with yellow lining and golden shoulder pads. But his eyes were hidden behind a pair of yellow shades with purple lenses.

Kari didn't hesitate to snarl at the emperor. "Why have you come here?! The Dark Ocean is off limits to all outsiders, and that includes you! Leave now, or be destroyed!"

The emperor just laughed. "Oh my, I'm ever so sorry your majesty," He spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Allow me to correct my oversight, by officially making this part of my digital empire! You and your subjects will bow to me!"

"Never! We overthrew our previous ruler, and we will not just accept an outsider as our master!" Kari retorted. "So leave now, and take your 'Digi Destined' soldiers back with you. And don't ever let me catch you back here again."

"The 'Digi Destined'?" The emperor paused. Why did he seem so confused about that, they working for him, right? A noticeable smile creeped onto his face as he added. "Ah, so they _are_ here. How nice of you to rat them out for me, your majesty. Maybe you'll be of some use to me when this is all said and done."

"No thanks! I'd rather die than serve the likes of you! I bow to no one!" Kari replied, clenching her fist in anger.

"Then so it shall be, you _and_ those Digi Destined brats will be destroyed!" The emperor vowed. "So say your prayers, queen, and you'd better make them count. Because, spoiler alert, I'll be the only one walking away from this encounter alive." And with a vicious laugh, the image of the emperor on the screen disappeared, replaced by static.

"My queen," One of the "Scubamon" spoke up. "What are we going to do?!"

Kari rose from her throne, a sense of fiery determination reflected in her eyes. "The only thing we _can_ do, we must fight! We'll show this so called 'Emperor' just who he's messing with, and make him rue the day he ever set foot in this world! Rally the troops, we march as soon as possible!"

* * *

It didn't take long for a fighting force to be mobilized, this was not the first time the creatures of the Dark Ocean had been forced to fight. Or even the first time they'd had to fight back against someone interested in ruling over them with an iron fist.

But when Kari and the "Scubamon" under her command made their way up to the surface, they were surprised at something, or rather two somethings.

The first and most noticeable, was that the Digi Destined were fighting _against_ the Digimon Emperor, not with him. Kari especially found that most puzzling. " _Why would they fight each other? They're of the same force, and they have the same goal,_ " She thought to herself. " _Or are those 'Digi Destined' defecting to my side for some reason?_ "

Kari was so surprised by this, that she almost didn't notice the second and more concerning something, what the Digimon Emperor had on his side. It was a creature that could best be described as some kind of monster squid/dragon hybrid, all covered with chains.

The "Scubamon" recognized it at once! "Dragomon?!" They all exclaimed in fright! "But it can't be, we overthrew him!"

The Digimon Emperor just laughed. "Dragomon's been my puppet for a long, long time, almost from the day I decided to build a new digital empire. I had hoped to use him indirectly to bring the 'Scubamon' or whatever they are here into my ranks," Pointing a finger to Kari, he then angrily snarled. "But you had to ruin everything! You allowed these weaklings to deceive you with their mind tricks, and let yourself be crowned their queen! Then you overthrew Dragomon and took over the Dark Ocean yourself! I suppose there's one positive side to that little setback though, you made Dragomon so unhappy and so upset, that he was willing to join my team without question. And now, thanks to this new and improved dark spiral, he's my obedient pet."'

"Well, good for you, I don't care!" Davis snorted. "Flamedramon, fry that dark spiral and show that overgrown squid who's boss!"

Flamedramon was a more noticeable, two legged dinosaur creature, covered in red armor with orange and yellow flames. He immediately rushed forward, shooting out a set of three fire balls as he cried out! "Fire Rocket!" But the fire balls bounced harmlessly off Dragomon's body with no signs of harm.

"Tempest Wing!" Shouted a strange bird like creature with a silver helmet with wings, as it spun itself into a tornado to attack Dragomon! It too failed to leave a noticeable sign of impact.

"Nice try, Halsemon, but I think this calls for a little more power! And I've got that in spades!" A big yellow beetle with drills for hands and feet shouted. Then it leaped into the air and shouted. "Gold Rush!" As it shot off drills from its hands, directly at the spiral armband Dragomon had on its left arm! But they had the same effect as the other attacks!

"You're pathetic, Digmon," The Digimon Emperor snarled. "Enough of this! Dragomon, throw these fools into oblivion, leave no trace of their existence!"

Dragomon reared back, before its right hand extended forward and it shouted! "Tentacle Claw!" A huge, shadowy claw plowed right through all that had tried to fight it, knocking them aside and turning back into the Digimon Kari had seen earlier!

But the attack wasn't done yet! It kept on going, whizzing past T.K. and Patamon! Kari didn't realize until too late that the attack was coming for her! And when she tried to move, she found that her body had completely frozen, she couldn't move a muscle!

"My queen, watch out!" A "Scubamon" shouted, before it shoved Kari out of the way, only to take the blast full force! A tremendous explosion shook the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust!

When the cloud faded a moment later, the "Scubamon" had reverted back into the form it had taken on only when Kari had first met it. And there it remained, badly injured and barely able to move. Everyone gasped (except for Dragomon and the Digimon Emperor, obviously)!


	4. Resolutions

Dragomon reared back, prepared to strike again! But Gatomon quickly leaped into the fray, utilizing a move she had seldom had a need for before! "Cat's Eye Hypnotism!" She cried, as her eyes glowed an eerie blue. Oddly enough, it worked, Dragomon was stopped right in his tracks. "Now's your chance, guys!" Gatomon ordered! "Let him have it!"

"We'd better join the fight too, T.K.!" Patamon encouraged.

"Right, it's Armor Evolution time!" T.K. replied, holding up a device similar to the one he'd shown to Kari earlier. But this one was green instead of pink. "Digi Armor Eneeergize!" He shouted, as from the device a massive egg emerged.

"Patamon, digivolve to!" Patamon cried, as the creature made contact with the egg. A brilliant flash of light briefly blinded all, before a deep voice cried out. "Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"

When the light faded, a golden horse like creature with huge armor all around him stood where Patamon had been just a second before. T.K. climbed aboard, as Pegasusmon joined the other Digimon (except Gatomon) as they rushed towards the still dazed Dragomon.

Meanwhile, Kari had come to her senses, surprised at the fact that a Digimon belonging to the "Digi Destined" had saved her. " _If they were on the side of the Digimon Emperor, why would they care if I got destroyed? None of this is making any sense!_ " She thought to herself. But at the moment, Kari had more pressing concerns. Namely, the fact that one of her subjects (the "Scubamon" who had jumped in front of the attack) lay in the sand, badly wounded.

"My queen, I am so sorry for all of this," The "Scubamon" apologized, even as its body shaked and shivered and its breaths were slow and labored. "None of this was ever supposed to happen. We had hoped that when we brought you here to serve us, we would know peace at least. That you would be better than our old master. But it seems we merely delayed the inevitable, and left you unprepared for what lay ahead."

"What are you talking about?! I've been your queen for years!" Kari protested. "Together, we overthrew that nasty Dragomon long ago, and we all assumed we'd seen the last of him!"

"That is… half true," The "Scubamon" confessed with a raspy cough. "I was one of the few who knew what you really were along. What the rest hoped you would never find out."

"Scubamon, please, you're not making any sense!" Kari exclaimed, shaking the creature in the hopes that he come to his senses. "You've been hurt badly, the attack must've scrambled your mind! It's making you think things that aren't true! W-we need a doctor, a medic, somebody who can cure you!"

The "Scubamon" just shook his head and coughed. "It is too late for me, I've lost too much data. I only regret that I did not tell you the truth sooner, my queen, the whole truth. For you see, you have only really been our queen for a few months. We brought you here, in the hopes that you would aid us willingly. But after you removed those mysterious armbands, we revealed ourselves to you in our true form, and you refused to join us. That is when we made our decision."

"What do you mean?" Kari asked, though she was unsure if she wanted to hear what came next.

"We captured you, brainwashed you into what you are now," The "Scubamon" confessed. "It was our hope that once we overthrew Dracomon and you were our queen, all would be better. But now, it seems our efforts were all in vain. We were wrong to recruit you for our own goals, you would've been of greater use in our cause had you remained with the Digi Destined you rightfully belong to. You alone have the power to conquer the darkness that has sought to take over this land."

"Why me?!" Kari nervously exclaimed.

The "Scubamon" just weakly answered. "Look inside yourself, and you'll find the power you need." And then, with one last cough, he expired into nothing but streams of data right in front of Kari's eyes.

* * *

"Aw, how touching," The Digimon Emperor sarcastically remarked. "Almost breaks my heart, if I had one. Now it's time to end this! Dracomon, crush these pests, destroy them all!"

"Keep back, you fiend!" Pegasusmon shouted, as he flew close to Dracomon. "Star Shower!" A cluster of stars shot out from his mane and struck Dracomon right on the arm! It was enough to push the powerful Digimon back, but not enough to break the dark spiral on his arm.

"What are we gonna do?!" Yolei frantically exclaimed. "Nothing seems to be working against that guy! This _can't_ be how it ends!"

Davis just clenched his fists in anger! "We're the Digi Destined, we always kick the bad guy's sorry butt in the end! This is no different! We just gotta try harder and keep hammering him with all we've got! He's gotta have a weakness!"

"If there is, I suggest we find and fast!" Cody spoke up! "I don't think our Digimon can hold Dracomon off much longer!" As he spoke, Cody was eyeing the ongoing struggle, and taking notice of the fact that despite the Armor Digimons' best efforts, Dracomon was steadily advancing and preparing to strike again.

Meanwhile, Gatomon's eyes were drawn to the lighthouse. Why did it stand out so much to her? And why did she find herself drawn to it? " _Could it be?_ " She wondered, before realization struck her square in the face! " _Of course! That_ _ **has**_ _to be it!_ " She then shouted up to T.K. "You've gotta take out that lighthouse! It's our only chance! With it gone, I can digivolve and teach this bad boy some manners!"

"We've got ya covered, T.A.!" Davis called out. "I think this calls for a little distraction, Raidramon style!"

"I like your thinking, Davis!" Flamedramon smiled, as he reverted back to Veemon. Veemon then encouraged. "You can do it, Davish!"

Davis nodded, and cried out. "Digi Armor Eneeeeergize!" Then from his blue colored device, emerged an egg that was completely different from the one T.K.'s had produced.

"Veemon, digivolve to!" Veemon cried out, as there came another blinding flash. "Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!" Emerging from the light was a four legged creature with a black muzzle, and a horn that looked like a lightning bolt.

"Run circles around him, Raidramon! Show that overgrown squid who he's messing with!" Davis encouraged, and Raidramon did just that. Then, to T.K. he commanded. "T.D, knock out that lighthouse! Now's your chance!"

With Dracomon distracted by Raidramon (and the other Armor Digimon minus Pegasusmon), Pegasusmon flew close to the lighthouse and with a cry of "Star Shower!" attacked the building with all his might! A great big crash followed a few seconds later, and then, where the lighthouse had once stood, there was only dust.

* * *

Ken's eyes glanced over towards the lighthouse, and he realized at once what had happened! "No! My beautiful control spire! Do you meddling brats have any idea how hard it was to disguise that spire as something so fitting?! You're gonna pay for that!"

"Cash or credit?" T.K. teased, as he and Pegasusmon flew towards Kari and tossed her the pink colored device from earlier. "Kari, this is your digivice! You must use it to make Gatomon digivolve to her Ultimate form! She alone has the power to break that dark spiral and end this nightmare!"

Kari caught it, unsure of what exactly she needed to do. But then, once she held it in the palm of her hand, everything suddenly became clear. Throwing away her long black robe, and taking off the golden crown atop her head, memories long forgotten came flooding back to her mind in an instant! And Kari stood before her teammates wearing her pink shirt with a white stripe! "I hope this works!" She shouted, as she clenched the device tightly and turned to Gatomon, her partner (yes, partner. It felt natural to be calling her that again).

A brilliant glow surrounded Gatomon, as she rose into the air. "Gatomon, digivolve to!" The most blinding flash of light yet appeared, before a powerful female voice cried out. "Angewomon!" And when the flash faded, there stood a human like creature with cat like ears, and a flowing pink robe across her shoulders.

"Kari, you feel now, don't you?" Angewomon asked, as she briefly looked at her partner. "This is just like what we used to do. I have been waiting patiently for a long time to be reunited with you again, both in my current state, and as Gatomon, which you have known me as for many years," Then, turning back to Dracomon, she produced a bow from out of nowhere and a gigantic arrow of light appeared at her fingertips. " _Only got one shot at this!_ " She thought to herself, as she aimed the arrow to the best of her ability and then shouted. "Celestial Arrow!" The arrow flew from her fingertips and struck the dark spiral directly!

For a moment, nothing happened. But then the spiral began to crack, and soon it shattered entirely. Dracomon's eyes stopped glowing bright red, and it took him only a few seconds to realize what had happened.

"You!" Dracomon hissed, now turning his full fury towards the Digimon Emperor. "You lied to me! You said that if I joined you, I'd get to call the shots with my subjects! They weren't supposed to be _your_ soldiers!"

The Digimon Emperor (having been thrown to the ground) simply replied in a cold tone of voice. "Well, that _was_ the deal, before those meddling twerps got involved and ruined everything like they always do."

Dracomon wasn't convinced! "You just wanted my subjects to your puppets, and for me to be your slave! I should've _never_ trusted you, I've never trusted outsiders before!"

But before anyone could even think of laying a hand on the emperor, a massive portal appeared in the sky and a strange, bird/dragon like creature emerged from it. Riding atop it, was a small, green colored, caterpillar like creature. "Master!" It cried out in a desperate tone of voice. "We need you back in the Digital World, things are falling apart! Quickly, hop on!"

The emperor took full advantage of the momentary distraction, and after narrowly avoiding a swipe of Dracomon's paws, he climbed aboard the bird/dragon like Digimon. "Mark my words, Digi Dweebs! You may have won the battle, but _I_ will win the war!" And soon, he was gone, and the portal slammed shut behind him.

* * *

"Man, I don't believe, he got away again!" Davis groaned, kicking the dirt! "I thought for sure we had this time!"

"Well hey, at least we got Kari back, that's a plus." T.K. commented, as he hopped off Pegasusmon, just before the Armor Digimon reverted back to Patamon, and Angewoman to Gatomon (the other Digimon reverted back to their usual states as well). If one looked closely, they would've noticed a faint blush on his cheeks.

It was then that Dracomon spoke, as he turned to the Digi Destined. "I… don't really know how to say this, or what to feel. You came into my kingdom, violated the sovereignty of my rule, and drove me to make a deal with that accursed Digimon Emperor. But at the same time, I suppose… I owe you some debt of gratitude for freeing me from the emperor's control. And you, Kari, I know you were tricked and lied to, forced into a rebellion against your will. But, do not think that all that's happened here, makes us allies or enemies. Since I am a mon of my word, just this once I'll allow you safe passage back to the world you all call home," He quickly added. "But none of you are to ever set foot in this world ever again, no matter what!"

"Only if you promise to treat those… whatever they are with the respect they deserve!" Kari demanded. "Otherwise, what's to stop me from joining their cause of my own free will the next time around?"

Dracomon growled. "If it'll get you to leave me alone, fine! Now all of you, leave!"

And the Digi Destined did just that, hitching a ride on Halsemon and Pegasusmon. When they were just past the process of taking off though, Kari turned to T.K. and said to him. "Hey, T.K.?"

"What is it, Kari? Something on your mind?" T.K. asked.

Kari nodded. "Remember how before I got taken to this place, you said you cared about me? What did you mean by that?"

T.K. nervously replied. "Huh? Oh… uh… you know… just… stuff. I… I mean…"

Kari just laughed and smiled. "Well, it's okay, because I care about you _too_."


End file.
